Surf mats have become very popular for wave riding. A typical surf mat includes a panel of foam plastic which may be somewhat flexible and resilient. Because of the likelihood of the surf mat washing to shore when the rider falls off of the mat, it is a common practice to use a leash to connect the surfer's wrist to the mat.
Known methods of attaching the leash to the surf mat are time consuming in that they require cutting of the material of the mat, inserting a connecting device and gluing. In addition, these methods leave protrusions on the top of the surf mat, and this presents a serious hazard to the surfer, particularly when the surfer is violently removed from the board by a large wave. There is also a tendency of some prior art connectors to destroy the material of the board around the connector, thereby increasing the likelihood that the connector-to-surf mat joint will fail.